1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fault detection arrangement for electric consumers in motor vehicles. More particularly, the invention relates to a fault detection arrangement to detect the function and/or malfunction of an electric consumer in a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
The invention relates to an exterior rear view mirror with an adjustable mirror glass, which comprises at least one friction spring.
An exterior rear view mirror design for a motor vehicle consists, for example, of a mirror foot arranged on the motor vehicle, which can be covered by a mirror foot cover, and an exterior rear view mirror arranged on the mirror foot. The mirror foot can be produced as a die-cast piece, for example, from a material which is resistant to forces and moments. The exterior rear view mirror comprises an exterior rear view mirror housing, which, among others, accommodates a base support assigned to the mirror foot.
The mirror foot and the base support are hinged together, so that the exterior rear view mirror can be pivoted about a hinge axis towards the mirror foot from an operating position to a folding point and vice versa. In this process, bearing means can be provided between the mirror foot and the base support, in order to keep wear and tear and frictional forces arising during movement as low as possible.
Preferably, the base support is also produced as a die-cast part from a material resistant to arising forces and moments, for example, from the same material as the mirror foot. An adjusting device for a mirror glass, driven by an electric motor, for example, is arranged on the mirror foot. The adjusting device acts on a carrier plate, on which the mirror glass is arranged. The mirror glass can be mounted onto the carrier plate by means of an adhesive connection, for example. The carrier plate can be guided to and/or mounted on the adjustment device and/or the base plate.
On its rear side, facing away from the direction of movement of the motor vehicle in the operating position, the exterior rear view mirror housing comprises an opening, through which the mirror glass is visible, or in which the mirror glass is arranged. In order to ensure that the mirror glass is adjustable, a distance is kept on all sides between the mirror glass or carrier plate and the walls of the exterior rear view mirror housing surrounding the opening, so that a gap is given around the mirror glass between the walls of the exterior rear view mirror housing surrounding the opening.
In addition, the exterior rear view mirror can comprise a repeated flashing light, a module for a driving assistance device, such as blind spot monitoring, a lane departure warning, approach monitoring, or similar, or a combination thereof Alternatively or additionally, the exterior rear view mirror can also comprise sensors for recording driving and/or surrounding conditions, such as for example, temperature, brightness, degree of pollution, lighting situation, for example, in order to automatically heat the mirror glass, or to dim electro-chromatically, for example.
In order to avoid or at least partly suppress unwanted movements of the mirror glass, such as unwanted shaking during movement of the motor vehicle, it is known to provide a fixture device acting between the carrier plate holding the mirror glass and the base plate, for example, throughout the adjusting device, through this or reaching to this. The fixture device holds the carrier plate, together with the mirror glass arranged on it, in a desired adjustment position in relation to the base support, individually adjustable by the driver of the vehicle, without essentially limiting the adjustability of the carrier plate together with the mirror glass arranged on it in relation to the base support. The fixture device can be designed as a friction bearing, for example. A friction bearing of this type consists of guide surfaces, which are moveable at least in pairs relative to each other, and which come into contact with each other. In this way, for each pair of guide surfaces, a first guide surface is arranged on a first component, of the components to be clamped to each other in each adjustment position, and a second guide surface coming into contact with the first guide surface is arranged on the other component. The clamping is done by friction forces between the at least two guide surfaces in contact with each other.
An exterior rear view mirror is known in WO 99/00272, in which a friction bearing is arranged between the base support and a carrier plate holding the mirror glass for the prevention of unwanted movements of the mirror glass. In this process, a first guide surface of the friction bearing is assigned to the carrier plate and a second guide surface in contact with the first guide surface is assigned to the base support. The first guide surface is formed by a raised part, for example a reinforcing rib, on a curved nib on the carrier plate, projecting in the direction of the base support. The second guide surface has a concave form, seen from the raised part of the curved nib and from a bearing position, about which the mirror glass can be pivoted for adjustment, and is formed on an arm extension protruding to the base support in the direction of the carrier plate.
A generally known and as yet unsolved problem of exterior rear view mirrors of this type is a complicated assembly of the fixture device acting between the carrier plate holding the mirror glass and the base support, connected with a high tolerance of clamping between the carrier plate and the base support.